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Tara
The Known World Tara is a world similar to our own Earth; it is round and rocky, with an erratic orbit around a reddish Sun. This orbit gives way to peculiar seasons (Brume, Thaw, Frost, Bloom), the duration of which can vary considerably. Perhaps most notable is the Rift - a singularity in time and space near the south pole (Vaalbara). This object appeared long ago and its disgorged energy - the Rift's "Wake" - has seeped into the very fabric of reality. Many of Tara's most fantastic life and landforms are attributed to the Wake's mutations, and the very laws of physics are often bent or warped by the Rift's event horizon. The world itself has never been completely mapped but there are at least four major landmasses (Ur, Vaalbara, Yavanna, and Ys), and many small islands. Landmasses UR A fractured supercontinent and the largest and youngest of Tara's landmasses. The interior of Ur is dominated by cold, high plains and spine of towering mountains (the Dragonback Spine), whose watershed divides it into two distinct climate zones (the drier being Outremer). The Oldgrowth forest covers Ur's northwest while the iron-rich Mountains of Mourn wrap around its southern coasts, insulating it from the Wake. For two millennia Ur was ruled by the Tiberian Ecumene until it collapsed during the Last Ending, two centuries ago. Today it is gripped by a post-apocalyptic dark age called the Fallow Wars. VAALBARA Now considered a lost continent, Tara's southern pole was its oldest landmass but was never anywhere near as large as Ur or Yavanna. Very little is known about it, other than that it was once by turns the home of the Chiron (Centaurs), Pan (Fauns), and Siorai (Elves). The Chiron fled Vaalbara during the Old Dawn (prehistory), sensing the coming of the Rift. When the Rift did appear it brought the Siorai with it, immortal beings from another dimension. They became the ancestors of modern Elves, and founded the Dominion-in-Vaalbara. Adventurers who return from this place speak of fogs that cover the land like a death shroud, seas that boil away into steam, and floating mountains. Strange lights (and stranger stars) play in its skies, and the leaves of its forests shift from black to white. Warm rain fall upwards, compasses lose their bearings, and the wind blows through perplexing geometries in a land with no true surface. Yavanna Ys Ys is a large, forbidding island caught in a vicious cycle of fire and rampant growth. All manner of nasty wildlife and diseases can be found in its jungles and tropical storms often batter its coasts. It used to be a penal colon where the Tiberians dumped their worst criminals. When the Ecumene's borders began to recede Ys was all but forgotten, and centuries of neglect brought mutiny and barbarism. The colonists bred with the island's natives, dark men whose skins were covered in strange, animal-like patterns. Today they are known as Mer, seafarers whose driftwood villages hug the coasts and cliffs, and who raid as far as Yavanna and the Nesoi Isles. Races Tara is home to a breathtaking variety of life and culture; there are nearly a dozen intelligent species, most of whom have little if any relation to one another. * Humans * Siorai (Elves): the name Siorai means "Endless" or "Eternal" in Gaelic; the Siorai are the ancestors of modern Elves and come from a dimension beyond the Rift. They are timeless beings with deeply alien personalities. Most still remain on the other side of the Rift and are waiting for the Wake to comfortably terraform Tara. ** Kindred: Elves who migrated to Ur, settling in Land's End. They have an intimate bond with the Root of the World and have enthralled the human Painted Kingdoms ** Winter Court: Winter advises the Alder-Ri during the cold, lean seasons; its Courtiers take the long view and work to preserve the Elves' heritage. It is also mindful of long-term threats to their survival; dragons waking out of hibernation, the Siorai crossing over the Rift's threshold, and any one civilization gathering too much power. ** Summer Court: Summer advises the Alder-Ri during the warm seasons, and its Mab rules the continent Vaalbara; it favors rampant growth, earthly delights, and "enthralling" its enemies with power and glamour ** Caravanserai: Elves who wander Ur and Yavanna in caravans; many are descended from lowcaste Elves ** Half-Castes: the 100 million inhabitants of Yavanna * Korrigan (Dwarves, Gnomes): in European folklore "Korrigan" are dwarf-like spirits; they once dwelled in caves, but were pushed deeper underground by early humans. Dwarves and Gnomes belong to the same species; Gnomes have lived for generations above-ground, and are exiles. * Chiron (Centaurs): Chiron was a Centaur in Greek mythology; the Chiron were originally native to Vaalbara but fled the continent when they foresaw the coming of the Rift. * Pan (Fauns): Pan was a faun and the Greek god of the wild; the fauns lived in Vaalbara and were enslaved by the Siorai Elves * Gnasha (Ogres): * Lith (Giants): * Huron (Dryads): Huron are a native American people; Huron are dryads Fauna Flora Landmarks Named Rivers * Land's End: The Braid, Many Branches, Lost Tongue, Broken Tine River, Cold Streams, Fishgiver, Elkrun, Thawn, Bentbow, Longfalls, Snakereed, Turnfoot Creek * Freesia:' Pike River, Longknife, Greenstone, Tumbledown Falls' * Canton: Cider Rush, River Winding, River Twain * Troika: Butcher's Ford * Seawall: The Ebb, Mud River, Stillwater Drift, Whorewash, Strongwine * Yavanna & Amaranth: Poryal, Thoran, Undhu, Ynd, Lethe, Boro Named Lakes, Seas, Straits * The Pale Sea, "The Pale": bounds Land's End and Troika; its shores are choked with shifting ice-floes, and it is notoriously difficult for ships to navigate. * Thirsting Sea, a dead sea in Outremer, too salty even for fish, and covered in black algae * Drinking Sea, an underground, freshwater aquifer beneath Outremer; a closely guarded secret of the Remeri tribes * Anvil Lake, fills the bottom of the giant crater of Denedell and Cloudy Crown; according to legend the crater was made when a great hero threw his hammer, hence the name "Anvil" * Mirror Pools, remarkably clear lakes (you can see right down to the lake floor), with nothing living in them * Baathyal/The Starry Sea, a great ocean named after a goddess (the Queen of the Void), there are only scattered islands and an endless horizon of water (Pacific and Atlantic combined, without N or S America). No man has ever made it across. * Tethys, the great world wrapping ocean * Thalassa/The Waking Sea, the ocean separating Yavanna from Vaalbara * Lone Lake, 'a large (if isolated) lake in southern lowlands of Land's End, has three large islands called the Three Sisters * Land's End: '''Bitterroot Spring, Brume Lake, Lone Lake, Medicine Well, ' * Raion: '''Moonwane Lake * Seawall: Fevrewater Lake * High Plains: ' Firewater Lake' Named Islands * Vanishing Isles, often swallowed up by dense fog * Windblown Isles, '''the furthest known islands in the '''Baathyal Ocean * Spice/Nesoi Isles, '''found off the coast of Yavanna * '''Skeleton Keys, found near the isle of Ys * Fairweather Isles, ''' * '''Ys * Three Sisters, '''found in Lone Lake, in Land's End * '''Broken Teeth, '''found off the coast of Land's End Mountain Ranges * '''Mountains of Mourn: '''separating Outremer from Yavanna, the Mountains of Mourn are an impenetrable wall of fluted, sandstone canyons worn smooth and strange by the fine desert winds. ** Widow's Peak Pass, Plainview Summit, Whistling Pass, Brightshade Summit, Long Marcher's Watch, Windcarver's Pass, Wellspring Caves, Grindstone Vault, Mount Stonetooth, Sunstone Vault ** Sightless Breach, Mount Shale, * '''Cloudy Crown: '''these mountains are actually the rim of a giant impact crater ** Denedell, Cradlerock Pass, Fareyes Watch, Breaklimb Pass, Knifewinder's Pass, Spearpeak, Overlook Watch, Deepholm Vault, Blue Caves, Mount Snowbeard, Highguard Vault, Rook Ridge Hills, Painted Caves, Mount Rancourt, Wheelingsky Summit, Mount Mede * '''Dragonback Spine: '''a massive, winding mountain range, the Dragonback resembles a rocky spine stretching more than 8000 miles across Ur. ** Mount Sunder, Mount Ire, Smoke Hills, Shearing Pass, Hewn Pass, Blindmoon Pass, Longleap Summit, Deeproad Mines, The Seam, Mountainroot Vault, Hammersong Vault, Silverlode Vault, Echo Caves, Mistwreath Vale, Flint Hills, Lost Caves, Mount Shorn, Gallow Hills * Gnomish communities: '''Little Delving, Burrows, Underfoot Named Forests * Land's End: The Oldgrowth, 'The Root of the World' * Denedell: Wildergreen * Freesia: Roaring Pines, Runewood * Raion: Briarwood, Rosewood, Bloomshade, Verdure, ''' * Canton: '''Ironroot Grove, Deadfall Grove, Axbit Forest * Hedge, Knot, Bracken, Gorse, Bramble, Seed, Tangle, Ambling ' * Seawall: '''Driftwood, Stormshaws ' Human Civilizations The Tiberian Ecumene The Painted Kingdoms of Land's End * Tenneu Peoples * Prydein * Cordele * Redon Shield Marches Brume Amaranth Denedell Freesia Canton Seawall Yavanna Hue Raion Troika Ys Mourn Nesoi Isles Influences 'Seawall '''is loosely based on famous ports like '''Venice '(masked society, canals, nightly festivities), 'Amsterdam '(architecture, the eponymous seawall holding an entire ocean at bay), and 'Tortuga '(smugglers den, captains' "democracy", has been destroyed and rebuilt on more than one occasion) 'Outremer's '''Remeri resemble '''Bedouin '(fashion, nomadic lifestyle, desert hospitality), 'Pueblo Indians '(adobe cities in hidden canyons) and 'Gypsies '(wandering exiles from India, wear all their worldly wealth, are generally distrusted by the region's established states like Amaranth, who see them - at best - as thieves and swindlers, and at worst raiders). Their eternal wanderings in the desert are evocative of the '''Israelites Amaranth '''is a mashup of '''Persia & Carthage (a once mighty empire that used to rival Tiberium in power and splendor, founded by a dead god-king), Egypt '(harness rivers, build pyramids, slaves,), and '''Babylon '(final resting place of Prince Xandar the Unmoved, elected autarchs are called The Lions of Amaranth, hanging gardens, ziggurats); the region resembles 'Mesopotamia '(oak forests) and the '''Fertile Crescent/Nile Valley. Mourn 'is "'Shangri-La"; Nepal, Tibet, '''and the '''Himalayas; its three major ethnic groups are a melting pot of Sherpas '''(hardy mountain folk), '''Gurkhas, '''and '''Sikhs, with a dash of Boshido '''and '''Buddhism; '''their famous (and unreproducible) steel-working method is based on '''Damascus Steel '''and traditional katana forging. The Jinn are reminscent of '''Tibetan Monks and Chinese alchemists Troika '''is strongly inspired by '''Cossacks (warrior society, general aesthetic) and Sami 'peoples (domesticated reindeer); their noble cavalry resemble '''Poland's Winged Hussars '''and their mercenary adventurers in Yavanna and Amaranth are based on the '''Varangian Guard. '''Their history with Tiberium is sort of lifted from the war between '''Kievan Rus and the Byzantine Empire. '''The geography is a fusion of '''Alaska, Iceland ('active volcanoes, hotsprings), and 'Siberia. ' 'Yavanna '– Yavanna is a cross between 'Classical Greece and India; '''its troops look like Rajput warriors and Sarmatian knights, only stuck in the bronze age. '''Hue '– is 'Indochina '(exotic riches; inks, dyes, silk) with elements of 'Edo Japan '(mostly just its xenophobia, hygiene standards, and minimalist aesthetic) '''Nesoi Isles – vaguely based on Pacific Islanders and Maya '(peerless navigators, astrologers, left their original homelands just so they could build some sweet fucking pyramids on some tiny islands) '''Ys '– 'Hawaii ('big, volcanic island), 'Tasmania '(penal colony); '''Tropical Vikings (visually inspired by the Kona from Cloud Atlas) The Tiberian Ecumene – Classic Rome/Greece, Starship Troopers (much of what we know about Tiberium has been romanticized in the 200 years since its collapse) Land’s End – Pacific Northwest '(overcast, rainforests, salmon runs, drizzly), '''Celtic Britain '(druid-like iron age tribes who wear blue warpaint/tattoos; the Prydein are '''Welsh, Redon is Romanized Britain, Cordele is based on Queen Boudica); 'Iroquois '(the Kindred Elves only look like this) 'Canton '– 'New England '(Yeomen farmers, American Gothic, Pastoralism), 'Oklahoma '(migrant farmers, Dustbowl), 'Saxons/Puritans '(technologically superior migrants who pushed out/massacred the local natives) 'Freesia '- 'Gothic Germany '(cathedral like castles, skilled metal/woodworking/masonry, townships, general aesthetic), 'Swiss Alps, Lithuania '(weird pagans) 'Denedell '– Fins (genetic isolation, appearance), Woodsmen Religions The Faith The Faith · Once the dominant religion in Ur, THE FAITH was all but destroyed during the Last Endings and the Fallow Wars that came after, surviving only in the simple prayers of common people, in the preaching of wandering priests, and scattered texts and relics. · Gradually The Faith was rebuilt by the new SYNOD in Tiberium’s catacombs, although it is still but an echo of its old glory. Unfortunately today the Synod is more concerned with preserving musty old texts and relics, copying scrolls until they go blind, than tending to the faithful. · This neglect caused a split between the Synod and many of the TEMPLARS, whose vows demanded that protecting the innocent, take precedence over all other duties (all people are icons of God). Templars are still technically obedient to the Synod so long as they can obey their vows (sometimes these vows obstruct the “greater good”). o The Templars are the oldest surviving institution of The Faith o When they are inducted they tend to already be'seasoned warriors, and often are men in'desperate need of redemption.'Their old lives are forgotten and they'consider themselves reborn, taking virtuous names that reflect their newfound purpose .Their crimes are forgiven (at least in the eyes of the Faith). o There is no hierarchy among them, except for the relationship between a Master and his apprentice (there is honor in the circle) o Many are travelling knights errant, taking vows of poverty and selflessness, and bring light to the darkness; others are hedge knights, watching over holy places or pilgrims. Some are bloodthirsty zealots, others are noble and kind, most are simply pragmatic warriors · There are other faithful orders that have survived o The SHRIVERS are travelling doctors (barbers, bonesetters, surgeons, etc.) and also care for the dead, giving last rites and burial. They wear bird masks, shave their heads, and look like vultures. They were founded during the Ecumene’s syphilis epidemic. o VIGILS/CANONS are the Templars who stayed loyal to the Synod o CONFESSORS are Inquisitors; originally formed because the Faith was troubled by Tiberium’s growing death cult, which it saw as deeply perverse. They’re mostly reactionary elements within the Synod. Tiberian Sex Cult state sponsored orgies were grand social engineering on the part of the Tiberian ruling class; they wanted to break down family bonds so that people would identify more with their countrymen than whatever tribe or clan they came from (the Tiberian Ecumene is a continental empire). Supposedly one of their original gods was a hermaphroditic sex god (they had a gigantic pantheon, and their religion was a melting pot of pagan cults they'd absorbed through conquest). this god's priests probably helped organize and took part in the...erm, festivities, and they proved so popular with the people that it became one of the empire's dominant cults. One can assume that people were getting it on everywhere; in bathhouses, alcoves, stadiums, gardens, streets, and of course temples to the sex god. it would have taken place at night after a day of feasts and revelry, and a lot of people would be high or piss drunk. Tiberium became a very sexually liberated culture; most statues were nudes, you'd have giant frescoes of famous orgies in city squares, soldiers wore heavily muscled breastplates meant to emulate a heroic physique, women usually wore dresses that were little more than wisps of silk or sheer cotton (and often bared one or both breasts), etc. Same-sex fraternization was also encouraged among Legionnaires because that way soldiers wouldn't take out their frustrations on civilians. Unsurprisingly one of the biggest plagues to hit the empire was an STD (probably syphilis) The Death Cult Death is a god with many faces; interestingly Suicides have no deity, they are their own death. The names of death come from a foreign, dead language, which no one knows where it comes from (its Greek; oracles who “speak in tongues” are actually speaking perfect Greek) Egdare (Flayed) The Burned Man – claims those who cannot be identified, feels around in their mouths and counts and collects their teeth (doubles as a tooth fairy), looks like a fresh burn victim; patron of the unknown dead Kori (Girl) The Weeping Girl – a naked child who weeps for those who are not mourned (the nameless dead); patron of criminals, exiles, the lonely Taxidi (Travel) Far Wanderer – seeks out those who have died far from home, looks like an ordinary, hooded/cloaked traveler with a walking stick; patron of travelers, merchants, slaves Kovo (Pluck) The Ghost Ship – a boatman that plies the waters out of sight of land, gathering in his nets the bodies of those who’ve been lost at sea and taking them to Baathyal the Void Queen; attended by sharks, who smell out blood; patron of sailors, fishermen, explorers Anth-Arotro (Plow) The Plowman – chained and bent-over his plow, claims those who die during or from their labors, sows seeds of famine as well as bountiful harvest; patron of farmers, craftsmen, and settlers Zaria (Dice) Luck – favors the bold, fickle; patron of soldiers, thieves, gamblers; a survivor of the Old Gods Giagia (grandmother) Crone Mother – picks through battlefields for dying sons and cribdeaths for dead children, nurses them on her withered teats; patron of mothers, babies, the very old Fanos (lantern) The Moth and the Moon Lantern – Souls become deathshead moths and fly to the Moon, which is Death’s lantern; another survivor of the Old Gods Blind Fates – human oracles, know by touch when someone will die (or kill, if death hangs over them like a shroud), or if an object/place reeks with death; have death related visions of great battles, famines, plagues, etc. Cannot be touched (they’re treated like vestal virgins, brides of Death); are ritually blinded, advise Consuls and commoners alike (all men are equals before Death). Some are breathtakingly beautiful but their flesh is ice cold to the touch, and beneath their cloying perfume you can smell the faint whiff of corruption. The Fates are allowed to claim any woman they choose, without exception (even babies), which is ironic given that women are considered life bearers. When a great man dies they weigh his bloody heart on their scales, Trogon (Eater) Godeater – devoured the old gods, and is insatiable; rail thin but covered in loose skin (as if he was once obese), depicted sitting at a great feast table, the food untouched Apalos (Softly) Whisperer – the soft and sudden death, walks barefoot, naked/wrapped in ribbons, approaches from behind, has no face (only a mouth), is considered the most merciful of all the Faces of Death; patron of the fearful, mercy Obol (Coin) – those who are killed for, or die pursuing, wealth and profit; has coins over his eyes, and a beggar’s bowl around his neck; rail thin and hungry looking, wears fine clothes that are ragged; patron of merchants, mercenaries, and beggars alike Koraki (Crow) – looks like a Renaissance plague doctor (bird mask, bald head, long black cloak give the impression of a human vulture, carries a clawed stick); tends to those who die of sickness; patron of healers and the sick Baathyal/Undine, the Void Queen – Queen of the deep, black sea and starless night sky, claims a portion of the dead (anyone who dies at sea); her children are crabs and bottom feeders; one of the few Old Gods to be folded into the new death cult